


how to apologise to cute blondes

by pinkfen



Category: Aespa (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Flirting, Banter, Bickering, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Jealousy, Kissing, Light-Hearted, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, Non-Explicit Sex, Sexual Tension, Slice of Life, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29186808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkfen/pseuds/pinkfen
Summary: Ever since they got off on the wrong foot, Jimin’s been trying to apologise; but every time she sees Minjeong’s pretty face, she fucks up.[Or: 5 times they miscommunicated and once they didn’t.](updated with epilogue)
Relationships: Kim Minjeong | Winter/Yoo Jimin | Karina, Ning Yizhuo | Ningning/Uchinaga Eri | Giselle
Comments: 5
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [intoloonaverse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/intoloonaverse/gifts).



> This is a rewrite of an nct fic of mine for aespa, but winter and karina fit in so perfectly I think you'll feel it was written for them from the start!

The queue outside the restaurant is almost as long as regular, despite the season. Jimin keeps looking up from her phone and over the shoulder of the person in front of her, doing a quick headcount of how many customers remain between her and the cozy, candlelit interior, visible through the glass front of the place.

It’s a swanky cafe-style restaurant, Yizhuo’s favourite since they came here for their second date a year ago. Jimin spies an empty table in the corner of the full room—actually, it appears to be the only table available as she scans the periphery. Her worry is momentary though, since there’s only one girl left in front of her and Jimin has a reservation.

It would be difficult not to notice the young woman whose back she’s facing, with her attention-grabbing blue-blonde hair, though Jimin hasn’t caught a glimpse of her face yet. For the past thirty minutes she’s been immersed in her phone, though from the back—despite not meaning to pry—Jimin can see she’s been playing candy crush the whole time. She bites back amusement, imagining the stranger is as bored as her by now, probably cold too judging from how her shoulders have gotten increasingly hunched into herself.

Excitement and relief floods her when the waiter comes to the entrance with a smile and asks the other customer: ‘Table for how many, ma’am?’ The waitstaff is starting to show the girl in when Jimin catches on to something amiss.

Not thinking, she places a hand on the blonde-haired girl’s shoulder because the staff is further away and out of her reach. Both turn, looking startled and Jimin hastily drops her arm. She sees the other girl’s face for the first time as wide eyes are swung on her, under a slightly furrowed brow.

‘I-I have a reservation,’ Jimin addresses the server. ‘Under Yoo Jimin?’

The uniformed man fumbles with his clipboard, appearing inappropriately confused. As he does, despite not looking at her face, Jimin can sense the mild knit of the blonde’s forehead intensifying into a frown.

‘Oh yes, Ms Yoo—‘ Her suspicions are confirmed when the waiter’s eyes roam from the single vacant table behind the sparkling glass, to the two of them standing before him. He shuffles his feet nervously.

‘I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, I made a mistake…’ To her relief, it’s the other customer being addressed in a low voice. Impatient and on edge from the mix up, Jimin pushes past the stranger, their shoulders brushing and starts heading in, eyes honed in on _her_ table.

‘Hey!’

This time around, she’s stunned to feel a hand on her bicep—grip strong and tight. Combined with the obvious annoyance lacing a high voice, it’s enough to make Jimin halt gingerly. The girl who’s just been turned away meets her eyes squarely for the first time, their gazes locking. She’s around the same age as Jimin. Pretty. The rest of the customers in the queue behind them had dissipated as soon as they found out the restaurant was filled for the night—it’s closing in an hour and the sign displayed on the front clearly states they stop accepting new patrons at this time. But this girl seems awfully stubborn.

‘Can I help you?’ Jimin means to sound polite, but it comes out with a somewhat irritated tone due to her shock, and she winces.

The girl’s eyes widen further, her voice lower as she snaps, ‘I’ve been waiting almost an hour. In the cold.’

Jimin just blinks, gaping for a moment, floored by the other’s sheer entitlement.

‘So have I, if you didn’t notice. And I called to reserve that table in advance.’ She jerks her head for emphasis in the direction.

Seeming to be stricken speechless by this rebuttal, the girl runs a hand through her hair and wets her lips, still glaring at Jimin. Her apparent fluster brings Jimin out of her defensiveness and back to herself. She’s usually more gracious than this, and of course she can understand the disappointment having waited almost the same amount of time in these temperatures, but the stranger’s pushy reaction had just thrown her.

She’s about to apologise, smoothen things over, when the waiter interrupts at this opportune point, probably worried they’ll escalate into an argument.

‘Ma’am, I’m truly sorry; if I may offer you a reservation first thing tomorrow evening…’

‘Forget it.’ That girlish voice rises again in the night air. Jimin huffs out a breath; it’s freezing more the later the hour gets and she just wants to be inside. She feels a pang of unexpected sympathy for the stranger, despite her rudeness, as she squares her shoulders into a slouch and starts turning away.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she fishes it out reflexively. It’s Yizhuo, letting her know her taxi is almost there with a cute sticker thanking her for lining up. Jimin smiles without thinking.

When she looks up, she’s on the receiving end of a dirty look. She doesn’t have time to say or do anything before the blonde-haired girl is pivoting and stalking away dramatically. Beside Jimin, the waiter is a shade paler as he ushers Jimin finally into the restaurant, bowing incessant apologies, and she can’t bring herself to blame him for his careless, confrontation-causing mess-up.

*

It’s Wednesday afternoon during her shift and Minjeong looks up to a sight that makes her do a double take—a face she dimly recognises pushing open the door of the campus coffee shop.

The girl doesn’t notice her at first, too absorbed in texting somebody on her phone—probably her boyfriend, after enjoying a nice date at the table they disputed over five days ago. Minjeong wipes her hands on her apron, feeling stupidly out of her element as the girl approaches with hapless obliviousness.

She almost flinches when the stranger raises her head, staring up right into Minjeong’s face, but smoothly keeps her cool. The other girl seems to be less adept at hiding her emotions, face falling in a blanch.

Well, that just pisses Minjeong off more. It wasn’t easy for her to put the incident behind after a few days; who is this girl to stride back into her life when she’s finally forgotten how she had to trek home in bitter disappointment, and more importantly lose any chances she had with the girl she was trying to woo, Jayoon?

‘Can I help you?’ The words leave her mouth without consideration, and she belatedly realises she could be misconstrued as mocking the words the stranger said the other night. Nearby, her colleague Chenle who’s sweeping the floor glances at them, alerting her that she’s not being as warm as usual.

‘Welcome, may I take your order?’ she rephrases stiffly, and the girl whose saucer eyes haven’t left her face for the past minute snaps her mouth shut.

She appears as discomfited as Minjeong feels, but to her surprise, doesn’t swivel on her heel and make herself scarce. Instead, she orders a drink, not meeting Minjeong’s eyes, then palms her credit card over the reader without a word. Minjeong watches her move to the collection counter without returning her gaze again.

She has plenty of time while waiting for the espresso machine and whipping the foam to regret her instinctive reaction, and realise anew what she already did on Saturday night, walking against the wind with her hands shoved into her pockets to the train station.

 _She_ was in the wrong; she’d been rude and unreasonable. She should apologise.

Because this is the sort of person she is, Minjeong has in fact been feeling contrite and guilty about the incident ever since, despite her attempts to push the feelings away. She overreacted, gracelessly, and made a complete stranger feel bad for a mistake that wasn’t hers—wasn’t anyone’s really. She’d been sorely disappointed, and cold, but that didn’t justify being selfish.

Come to think of it, it was possible her jerky behaviour had ruined this girl’s night, with her boyfriend or whoever. She realises it’s a blessing she walked into Minjeong’s workplace today, a golden chance to offer the sincere apology she’d unconsciously been hoping to. She’s been working here for awhile although she doesn’t go to this university, but doesn’t remember seeing this person before. She’s evidently a student. No matter—there’s no guarantee they’ll bump into each other a third time, so this is her only opportunity to say sorry.

Discreetly blocked from view, Minjeong clumsily scrawls on the cardboard sleeve with her marker, hesitating before adding an emoji. Is it too much? Too—god forbid—flirty? But before she has time to ponder further, she glimpses the girl craning her head to check what Minjeong is doing. She nearly drops the sleeve, all thumbs as she hastens to shove the hot cup into it and hustle to the pick-up counter.

She has her customer-ready smile on, confident of the power of its full wattage to dissolve the unfortunate misunderstanding at long last—but in an instant, it slips as the prior silent and mysterious girl opens her mouth and speaks the first sentence besides her order since she entered the shop.

‘Why’d you take so long? Didn’t poison me in revenge, did you?’

Minjeong blinks, shell-shocked, for longer than she’s willing to admit as the casual quip hits her like a slap in the face. She’s been working here for three months, and it’s the first time a customer has levelled such a malicious accusation at her. She doesn’t even care if it’s in jest, a sick joke; the only kind of human being who would crack jokes like that anyway would be a—

‘Bitch.’

She mutters it low under her breath, not caring if Chenle heard, if the customer—the _bitch_ —heard. Perverse gratification is immediate balm for her wound as it’s the girl’s turn now to look like she’s been struck by lightning.

This time, she does leave the cafe without a second glance back, jaw set as she shoves the door open and vanishes into the sunlight. Minjeong can only feel a knee-buckling relief as she crumples the cardboard sleeve she managed to swipe off—‘Ow, fuck,’ the girl muttered when she grabbed the burning paper cup from the worktop, but Minjeong didn’t really give a shit—in her fist, then heaves an aggrieved sigh and truly starts to set about trying to forget the whole unsavoury pair of encounters.

*

Yizhuo is in Jimin’s apartment when she gets back from classes, having let herself in with the spare key. Jimin’s a little confused why she didn’t just wait on campus so they could leave together if she was going to come anyway, but doesn’t ask as they share the simple meal Yizhuo prepared in relative silence.

After Jimin washes the dishes, she heads to grab clothes to shower. Yizhuo’s hand on her elbow pauses her.

‘We need to talk.’

‘About?’ Jimin grunts. ‘Can I bathe first?’

Her girlfriend lets her arm go and smiles faintly. ‘Sure, of course.’

But after she exits the bathroom towelling her hair dry she holes up in her bedroom and texts Yizhuo who’s waiting on the sofa an apology, asking if they can talk another day because she’s tired.

Jimin hears the soft shut of the front door as she leaves after responding to the message. She throws herself back on her bed and stares at the ceiling, then pulls the damp towel over her forehead. Tries not to think what topic Yizhuo could possibly have been pushing to discuss for some time now.

Maybe she’s afraid it’s about the strange distance that’s opened between them of late, inexplicable but undeniable.

Unbidden, Jimin finds her thoughts wandering to the blonde-haired barista from the campus coffee shop. It’s been ten days since their cursed encounter—not that she’s counting—and that’s another issue she’s aware she’s been dragging her feet on.

She went overboard. She has to apologise, some way or another. There’s no excuse this time—she knows where the girl goes to work. Could easily drop by the cafe any day post-school.

 _Bitch_. For reasons unknown that silvery, sassy voice occasionally rings in her head. At that moment, Jimin had felt ridiculously exposed, like that girl whose name she didn’t even know was seeing right through her, calling her out.

Perhaps that’s what her own girlfriend wants to say to her too, but is too nice.

Guilt creeps up when her thoughts return to Yizhuo. Jimin is pretty sure she won’t be happy about her dwelling at length on introspection about another woman. That was also part of the reason she’s been standoffish and elusive: Yizhuo has always been able to read her unnervingly well—or maybe she’s just an open book—and Jimin was paranoid she'd be able to sense somehow that another female had been occupying her recent thoughts.

She decides that she has to say sorry, once and for all. If only for the sake of her peace of mind. Surely these unwelcome mental images will stop plaguing her once she’s relieved her conscience about all that transpired.

She can do it. Be mature, the bigger person. She resolves to visit the cafe again as soon as possible. Well, soon.

*

This afternoon, their manager is doing the monthly stocktaking and inventory and Minjeong and Chenle offer to stay behind past their shift to help with the heavy lifting. Sieun thanks them with her sweet smile.

They only finish around twilight, whereafter Sieun and Minjeong sit at one of the tables and discuss music while she multitasks collating the day’s accounts. Chenle offers to fetch their manager home after he shuts down the POS system, so Minjeong parts ways with them. By the time she starts strolling in the direction of the train station, darkness has fallen.

She rubs her eyes in disbelief when a familiar figure materialises in her field of vision, sitting with slumped posture on a bench at the garden area of the college compound. Almost the entire student body has left by now, and the school gates are closing soon.

Minjeong takes a step forward from where she’s frozen, shaking herself out of her stupor. This is the last face she wants to see right now, but she guesses it’s true that when it rains, it pours. How is it possible she never—knowingly—crossed paths with this girl before a month ago, and now in the short span of preceding time they’ve bumped thrice?

 _I’m sorry for everything. It was my fault_.

Walking up, Minjeong vows to spit it out this occasion. Her colleagues have commented that she’s been distracted the past weeks, and Yangyang even started teasing her wondering if she developed a crush on a customer because he claimed Minjeong keeps eyeing the cafe doors and zoning out.

Minjeong figured it was the unfinished business that bothered her. She has healthy and communicative relationships with most of her friends; not to boast or anything. So it was something out of the ordinary for a stranger to make her flounder like that.

Thus she decided all she had to do was seek the stranger out, and patch up. She guesses it’s fortuitous they stumbled upon each other today, since it didn’t look like she was coming into the cafe again anytime soon. Now Minjeong just has to work up her nerve.

The girl is wearing glasses today. Minjeong can see clearer as she nears under the weak illumination provided by streetlamps.

When she gets close enough to whiff the light but unmistakable scent of alcohol, carried by the breeze, Minjeong stops short, heart lurching for some reason. The girl doesn’t seem to have heard her footsteps or sensed her presence, this whole time she was approaching. She remained in the same position almost like a statue, face buried in hands and elbows on her knees. The night is fast setting in, and if she wasn’t aware of Minjeong’s approach, who else might creep up without warning? An absurd worry tightens Minjeong’s stomach. She’s sure the girl can protect herself perfectly fine, with her personality, but—

‘Yah,’ she calls, voice coming out hoarse. Takes a sheepish step back when the girl’s head snaps up, jumping visibly. She takes stock of her surroundings as if confused by the hour, then narrowed eyes bore into Minjeong.

Minjeong advances to stand in front of her as she straightens. Her eyes appear bleary and glazed. Concerned, Minjeong inhales and reaches to shake her shoulder. She searches her memory and finds a vague impression of a name. Yoo Jimin.

She calls it, adds, ‘Come to your senses.’

When only silence and a stiffening of the shoulder under her hand is her response, she flusters and babbles, ’It’s late. You gotta go home; it’s dangerous to sit here alone.’

She tries the name again, and suddenly the pair of eyes blaze up at her, with such fire even behind the glasses that Minjeong drops her hand in surprise. Unmistakable stirrings of recognition gleam in those pools of dark. Minjeong’s gut twists.

She doesn’t know what she expects to hear when Jimin opens her mouth finally, but it’s not, ‘Just leave me alone.’

It’s the harsh tone rather than the words themselves that makes Minjeong recoil and rear back, spitting out the first retort that comes to mind.

‘Fine.’

Even so, after a frigid stare-off, she’s the one who has to lower her dignity and snarl, ‘I’m leaving, but you better get your drunk ass out of here too. they’re locking up soon.’

She resists the tempting urge to throw a spiteful sneer over her shoulder as she departs, but the unintentional glimpse of Jimin’s countenance she catches almost makes her trip over a pebble in her path. The haze of alcohol nowhere to be seen all of a sudden, only a stricken vulnerability that makes Minjeong feel like she witnessed something uncomfortably intimate.

*

’Are you sure you don’t mind?’

Jimin’s sitting at her dining table with Aeri, her and Yizhuo’s friend, when Aeri asks this looking apprehensive.

‘Mind what?’ Jimin finds her gaze, which slides to the side.

‘You know…’ she hems and haws. ‘About me and Ning getting together.’ Aeri darts a glance at the kitchen where Yizhuo is making them cream Jin ramen.

Jimin’s eyelid twitches. ‘I said I didn’t,’ is her short response. It’s the truth, but she’s still not comfortable enough to talk about it as yet.

Aeri hums, relief apparent. Because Jimin wants to get her off the topic, she doesn’t think when her friend rummages nosily through the stack of papers on the table and unearths the foolscap with lines scrawled and crossed out, proceeding to enquire what it is.

Yizhuo arrives with the food and Jimin thinks she’s in the clear, but Aeri pries again after they start eating.

‘It’s nothing.’ Jimin squirms in her chair. ‘I’m just trying to apologise to somebody.’

She’s aware of her ex’s gaze on her face as Aeri extracts bits and pieces of the recount out of her. Their friend claps her hands abruptly, making them both jump and the moment break.

‘Ah, you mean that blonde-haired part-timer in the uni coffee shop, right? I know her.’

Yizhuo says, ‘You do?’

Aeri nods with enthusiasm. ‘I go there to study sometimes and I guess we got to chatting. Minjeong, everybody knows she’s a sweetheart.’

Jimin would’ve cringed hearing that description about anyone else, but what she does is remember genuine concern in an open face as Jimin stared up into it on the park bench, a softness that made her insides clench.

 _Minjeong_. The name suits her.

‘So how are you going to confess?’ Aeri kicks the table leg accidentally, choking on her noodles, and Yizhuo reddens and quickly amends, ‘I mean, how’re you going to apologise?’

*

Too dorky, Jimin had dismissed when her supportive friends suggested a card. Now, she’s rethinking her life choices as she hauls the large corrugated plastic board through the cafe doors, while taking care to hide the words written in bold on one side.

When she looks up breathlessly, the first thing she notices is that Minjeong’s hair is brunette now. A shade of milk tea brown that makes Jimin swallow the lump in her throat. The second thing she notices is that the dishcloth Minjeong was drying plates with before Jimin entered appears to have fluttered out of her hand to the ground. Minjeong looks like her jaw has dropped, something Jimin always thought was only a hyperbolic figure of speech.

She avoids the pair of haunting eyes the whole clumsy way to the booth she crashes into.

Minjeong eventually returns to her tasks after three excruciating minutes in which they seem to be staring at each other without actually looking in the other’s direction. Jimin heaves a gusty sigh, but the relief is short-lived as she hears a cup clattering to the ground, followed by an admonishment from someone else that it thankfully wasn’t glass Minjeong dropped.

When Jimin ventures tentative eyes upward, she starts to see Minjeong’s ears flaming even from afar, the lovely colour spreading to the apples of her cheeks.

Their eyes accidentally snap together, and Minjeong freezes up. Jimin panics spontaneously, knowing she will have to reveal her plastic board. That, or go to the counter and make an order.

She forces her mind to stop spinning and her heart to quit racing. Here goes nothing, Jimin thinks as she slowly lifts the board above her head, marker-scrawled side exposed to the world, before she loses Minjeong’s attention and the other people in the cafe look over.

She doesn’t allow herself to duck her gaze down, no matter how much she wishes to. Minjeong covers her mouth with her knuckles, eyes round. Time seems to stop but when she lowers her hand Jimin can finally see her lips are stretched in a grin almost too huge for her face.

Jimin’s arms have started to shake, not from exertion but the tremors shivering straight from her heart, so she lowers the board. She casts eyes around helplessly, as if hunting for a hole in the ground to burrow into as she senses more than sees Minjeong coming out from behind the counter and walking towards her.

Minjeong slides a cardboard cup sleeve onto the edge of the plastic board on Jimin’s lap when she’s standing before her, in such proximity Jimin can hear her arrhythmic breaths.

On the sleeve is scribbled SORRY in English, with an adorable emoji. It’s only a fraction of the size of Jimin’s board, but with the same sentiment expressed on it. Understated yet devastating, the way Jimin has learned from their piecemeal interactions how Minjeong is.

‘Does this mean I’m forgiven?’

The lame question comes out in a rather pathetic croak, making Jimin’s skin burn.

But Minjeong just laughs heartily, a laugh she immediately realises she’s never heard before. It’s melodic.

‘You’re forgiven, Yoo Jimin,’ Minjeong drawls, the name sounding like silk in her voice. ‘I’m Minjeong, by the way.’

‘I know,’ Jimin admits, then heats up more under Minjeong’s curious scrutiny.

‘I don’t know why I got so upset.’ Minjeong tugs the ground from under her with a soft-spoken confession of her own. ‘I mean, I don’t want you to think… I’m not usually so petty.’

Minjeong has her mouth covered again when Jimin raises her head, this time with embarrassment.

‘Me too,’ Jimin blurts out. ‘I’m still not sure why I got so worked up…’

*

Minjeong can’t believe Jimin stole her thunder. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have been so damn stubborn over the cardboard sleeve.

Jimin shifts the stupid plastic board behind her on the seat, but looks even more pained without it, like she doesn’t know what to do with her hands. Minjeong feels a rush of feeling for her, something more than sympathy.

‘I’m kind of...’ Jimin mumbles as though she read Minjeong’s thoughts, ‘really awkward.’ She grimaces, rubbing the nape of her neck.

Minjeong fights the urge to laugh, not wanting to hurt her feelings. ‘I can tell,’ is all she comes up with, but god, the smile Jimin’s answering laugh melts into is brilliant.

Entranced, Minjeong runs back to the counter, fumbling in her pocket to fish a wad of dog-eared notes from her wallet. She stuffs it into a flabbergasted Chenle’s hand begging him to cover the rest of her shift.

‘You can’t bribe rich people!’ Chenle protests at a decibel that makes Minjeong wince, but she ignores it and rushes to grab her bag from the kitchen, stripping off her apron. She doesn’t forget to beseech Shotaro, the kitchen staff, to give Chenle a hand.

Jimin is wearing a dazed and uncertain expression when Minjeong gets back to her.

‘A-are you sure you can just take off like this? I don’t wanna get you fired.’ She still seems to be reeling from their exchange.

Minjeong simply grabs her hand and tugs her to her feet in reply, leaving the unwieldy board behind in the booth for herself to siphon away later. She’s going to pin it up on her wall like a poster.

Outdoors, spring is beginning and everything is in bloom, but Minjeong can’t see anything except Jimin’s pretty smile, gradually broadening from guarded into carefree.

She realises she’s staring at Jimin’s lips when she clears her throat and licks them nervously. Minjeong tears her eyes away, heart hammering wild and hungry.

She wants to ask _Can I kiss you?_ but chickens out and murmurs instead, hiding behind her lashes, _You’re cute_.

Jimin scrunches up her nose, ears going red. _Cute_ , Minjeong thinks.

What was that saying? About love and hate being two sides of the same coin. Minjeong guesses that one’s true too, after all. She should’ve become aware when it dawned on her. That she’d never felt so violently about any other human being.

She’s glad they got a second chance. Because Jimin may be a hot bitch, but she’s _Minjeong’s_ hot bitch.

*

On Jimin’s birthday, they make plans to meet at the coffee shop after her classes and Minjeong’s shift, but she has a romantic surprise planned.

She can’t help smiling even before pushing through the doors of the cafe, already seeing the familiar mop of coffee brown hair with the grin that makes her pulse skip beneath. Minjeong’s roots are growing out; Jimin reminds herself to request her to go back to black for a bit and give her scalp a rest.

‘Jimin unnie!’ She surprises a rise from the usually soft voice when she saunters in. ‘You cut class?’

Minjeong’s attempt at a stern expression is disapproving, though she’s no model worker herself—Jimin has heard from Aeri that Minjeong waves off her payments for drinks nowadays, after she heard she's a close friend of Jimin’s; and that’s on top of the free food and beverages Jimin gets plied with every time she drops by.

Worried this will rub Minjeong’s colleagues the wrong way eventually, Jimin doesn’t really come into the shop unless she has a reason. Minjeong gets super distracted every time she does anyway, even this long into their relationship.

If it weren’t her special day today, Jimin wouldn’t allow herself this one-time indulgence. She smiles and leans over the counter, eager to relief Minjeong’s torn look.

‘I already bribed your wonderful colleague into covering the rest of today’s shift.’

Chenle snorts from behind the cake display, not looking up from what he’s doing. ‘Yeah, yeah. I asked Yangyang hyung to come in early; you’re welcome.’

Minjeong gapes between him and Jimin who’s retreating to an empty table to wait for her to grab her stuff. She breaks into a dazzling smirk.

Winking at Jimin, Minjeong pokes Chenle in the side while squeezing past him. ‘I thought you said you don’t accept bribes.’

‘That’s just from _you_ ,’ Minjeong’s shift partner huffs, squirming in disgust when Minjeong ruffles his bangs.

‘Aww, such a rebellious baby.’

Chenle scoffs again, scooting away. ‘Just go and stop touching me, your lover girl’s getting jealous.’

Jimin quickly rearranges her face and pretends not to be looking at them before Minjeong follows the jerk of Chenle’s head in her direction.

Thirty minutes later, Jimin knows her girlfriend would give an arm and a leg to snap a picture of the selfsame waiter who served them the day they met, at Yizhuo’s favourite restaurant.

‘Table for two,’ Minjeong tells him smugly as they walk up, not hand in hand but their arms touching along almost the entire lengths. No doubt there isn’t a chance they’ve been forgotten, if only because of Minjeong’s hair colour.

The poor server’s eyes dart from Jimin’s to Minjeong’s face, as if he thinks this may be a hidden camera prank. When they only smile expectantly, he quavers into action.

‘V-very good, ma’am.’

Despite Jimin’s nudge, Minjeong can’t resist pointing to the exact corner table they’d fought over, making the staff more flustered.

‘We want that one.’

Jimin’s still chuckling after they’ve ordered. Minjeong is so much quirkier than she thought, in a way that amazes Jimin endlessly. She’s never met anyone like Minjeong.

The place is almost empty besides them, as they turned up just after it opened, before the lunch hour. Jimin studies Minjeong across the table. They’ve barely been seeing each other a month, and she collects each new fact she learns about Minjeong like a dragon hoarding shiny things.

Minjeong isn’t going to university; she took a couple of gap years after graduating high school intending to get some work experience before moving to France for further studies.

It’s something that sobers Jimin when she remembers, so she doesn’t like to. It’s only the nascent stage of their relationship. She’s the first girl Minjeong’s dated seriously, though she says she’s always identified as bisexual. They’re having fun together. That’s all that matters for now.

So she doesn’t like to think of the future, but at moments like this, when the late morning sunlight, shiny and white, floods through the glass and sparkles across Minjeong’s bright eyes and cheeky laugh—it’s hard not to.

They definitely don’t know each other well enough yet for Jimin to be in love with Minjeong. And yet...

Jimin calls for the check at the end of the meal—trying not to flush in front of the waiter from how Minjeong had shamelessly fed her multiple times—knowing that Minjeong is working part time to save up for her overseas schooling plans. Minjeong protests, as she always does, but Jimin just says ‘You can pay next time,’ aware that she’ll pick a dirt cheap roadside stall for that next time.

*

Jimin is the first girl Minjeong’s ever dated. But she isn’t Jimin’s first female lover.

After the meal, they head to Jimin’s house, pleasantly warm and loose from the bottle of wine they shared during the brunch. Jimin looks more princessly than usual today. The way the midday sun hits her through the windows of her apartment is making Minjeong’s heart curl.

Minjeong hums as she buzzes around the studio apartment she’s become increasingly familiar with—let’s just say they had a heated first two weeks getting to know each other. She washes the extravagant coffee percolator she bought Jimin for an advance birthday gift, and starts making them both cinnamon coconut lattes. On the coffee table, Jimin opens up the cake Minjeong took away from the cafe, which she requested Shotaro to ice a customised message on. She’s already reassured her girlfriend that she did pay this time.

After they eat and take turns showering, Minjeong changing into the clothes she brought to spend the night, Jimin closes the windows and switches on the air conditioner and they tangle on the couch and watch Youtube connected to Jimin’s TV. Minjeong wonders if Jimin’s even aware she’s compulsively stroking idle fingers through the strands of Minjeong’s hair. She cuddles further into the crook of her arm and nods, laughing when Jimin asks her not to dye it for at least two months.

Minjeong is tidying the living room while Jimin washes the dishes and cups, even going over the fabric cover of the pull-out couch with a lint roller, when she finds the earring. The innocuous single stud was lying under one of the cushions, buried in the crease between it and the back of the sofa. The pang that stabs Minjeong’s chest staggers her with how unexpected it is.

She already knew. About Jimin’s ex of more than a year, her classmate in their university. She also knows the Chinese girl is now with Aeri.

And yet… seeing the oddly intimate article of jewellery conjures unshakable images of another girl spending nights like this in Jimin’s house, preparing food for her, looking up at her devastatingly dear smile as Jimin pinned her on this couch.

She’s been very nonchalant about this—or at least pretended to be when she found evidences of Yizhuo’s presence in various corners of Jimin’s apartment.

She’s been quietly shuffling things around, hiding away what she can—because if these items make her think of the other woman, she’s certain they remind her lover of the old flame too.

But finding this, here, she was unprepared for. Probably she’s being dramatic. But when Jimin returns, smiling innocently, Minjeong can’t muster the same cheer she’s been in all day.

Jimin senses her change in mood after a while. The earring lies in Minjeong’s pocket, though now she just feels pathetic stealing it to throw away.

‘Are you okay?’ A light graze of her arm calls her attention. Jimin is peering at her solicitously.

‘Did you ever sleep with anyone here?’ Minjeong blurts out.

Jimin blinks once, hand still on her arm. ‘Huh?’

‘On this couch,’ Minjeong clarifies, already regretting the question.

Jimin draws back. Pulls away, looking uncomfortable.

‘I don’t remember,’ she finally answers just as Minjeong is about to ask her to forget it. ‘Why?’

‘Nothing, I was just wondering.’ She tries to brush it off, but the mood’s shifted subtly. ‘It’s stupid. Ignore what I said.’

‘Uh, sure.’ She can’t read the expression on Jimin’s face, but a minute later Minjeong’s pushed back against the soft cushion.

Jimin thumbs the corner of her lip, then leans in.

They’ve kissed for a few minutes, panting softly into each other’s mouths, when they slide into a more horizontal position and something suddenly rolls out of Minjeong’s sweatpants pocket.

Jimin’s lips leave her jaw, an odd look coming over her face as she reaches down and picks up the earring before Minjeong can do anything.

‘This…’ Minjeong feels ashen and vaguely nauseous. She can’t make eye contact. ‘Did you find it here?’ Jimin asks delicately.

‘Yeah, well. Maybe.’ Minjeong pushes Jimin’s weight off her, wanting to shrink. She hasn’t felt such mortification in years.

And, she realises, she kind of hates this person for making her feel so humiliated. So insecure. Out of her depth.

Jimin inches closer, breath hot and still coming faster on her bare arm, but Minjeong leans away. Jimin doesn’t come any nearer, and Minjeong can feel the hurt and confusion begin to emanate from her but she doesn’t really care. Her face is burning.

‘Are you…’ She hears Jimin lick her lips, the dry click of her swallow, her voice soft as leaves. ‘Were you jealous?’

‘No, fuck you.’ Minjeong blurts the first response that comes to her mind in an irritable tone.

It was a completely defensive reaction, but she realises her mistake right away. Minjeong doesn’t even have to look up to know how wounded Jimin looks now.

‘Hey.’ Jimin’s voice is low, even. ‘You wanna go home? I can call a cab.’

Minjeong flinches before she can help it.

‘I mean, if you don’t want me here…’

‘I don’t want to hurt you.’ The deep voice silences her.

For some reason, it calls to memory the doubts that stopped her every time she wanted to apologise, before they got together. _What if she hates me now?_

Turns out, whether as strangers or lovers, they’re still able to antagonise each other like no one.

It’s way too early to even entertain thoughts like this, and Jimin would most certainly be freaked out if she knew, but Minjeong sometimes wonders—how long will they last? Longer than their previous relationships? And what about when she goes abroad for her further studies, as she must eventually? They won’t be able to meet like this, to kiss and touch, gestures of affection which have become unexpectedly necessary to them. What then?

’Jeongie?’ Jimin’s plaintive voice lifts her from her reverie. She can’t possibly not be aware—that when she uses that pet name, it kills Minjeong.

‘I’m not going home,’ she hears herself saying, voice raspy. ‘I’m staying. If you want to sleep alone, I can take the guest room—‘

Her shirt is pushed up by a hand before she can finish speaking, the palm warm against her bare stomach. Air knocked out of her.

Jimin nudges her to lift her arms, then undresses her. She always stares at Minjeong in a way that drives her crazy. Nobody’s ever gazed at her with such worship, such lust. It makes Minjeong feel alive.

They want to make it to the room, they really do—but Minjeong needs Jimin, _right now_ , and she can’t even wait the short distance to her bed.

Jimin fucks her gently and slowly into the sofa.

When Minjeong wakes the morning after Jimin’s birthday, sleepy eyes are staring down at her in a loving smile. Knuckles brush her cheek with a tender caress as Jimin's hair cascades over Minjeong's chest.

‘Minjeong-ah,’ Jimin murmurs, sounding serious. ‘This… this is important to me. We’re gonna make it work, right?’

Minjeong catches her breath and sighs into her touch. Charmed. Enamoured.

‘Yeah,’ she says. ‘We’re going to.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the epilogue is in the next chapter ;3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this epilogue was a drabble I posted on its own previously but it occurred to me that it could actually fit as an epilogue in this verse so I thought it'd be neat to post it together haha. I really appreciate everyone who read and left love for the drabble!
> 
> this fic is now gifted to intoloonaverse who has supported all my aespa fics so so sweetly, thank you and I hope you don't mind the gift ;;; <3

‘Happy Valentine’s Day,' Jimin says, and Minjeong smiles but scratches her head, one of the rare times she looks flustered.

’Valentine’s is days away, unnie,’ her baby says.

‘I know, but I wanted to be the first to wish you.’

Minjeong scrunches her nose. ‘Of course you’d be the first. The only one. Who else would say that to me?’

‘Are you sure?’ Jimin questions, a little teasing, not really minding. Well, of course it’s important to her to say those heart-fluttering words to her girlfriend, especially since they’ve been dating only a year, but she’s not that petty. ‘None of the hot guys at work gave you chocolates?’

‘Ah, unnie, you’re so corny,’ Minjeong whinges, looking embarrassed now. She smiles fondly when Jimin giggles, crowds in her personal space without warning to bracket Jimin’s hips for a kiss.

Minjeong closes her eyes when she kisses, sometimes. When she’s shy or wants to enjoy it. It’s unbearably cute.

‘How have you been?’ Jimin checks after they break apart, licking her lips and revelling in the sweet blush dusting Minjeong’s cheeks. Though they live together, she makes it a point to ask this occasionally, because that’s what she’s always done as Minjeong’s unnie.

Taken care of her.

‘I’m fine.’ Minjeong gives her her lazy grin. ‘What about you?’

Jimin waves a hand, then hesitates before probing further—because sometimes Minjeong doesn’t reveal everything at first. ‘I worry you’ve been overworking yourself. Your mind,’ she murmurs honestly.

Minjeong tilts her head, still smiling. She has this way of staring that makes Jimin feel like the whole world.

‘Why suddenly…? Have I been different?’

‘In a good way,' Jimin clarifies. ‘Like… you want to be more grown-up. Responsible.’

Minjeong appears happy to hear it. ‘Actually, I do.’ She takes Jimin’s hand, plays with her fingers. ‘I’m always surprised by how well you know me, babe.’

Jimin suppresses the smile that threatens and tries to focus and remain uncharmed.

‘You don’t have to do that. You’re already strong enough.’ She regards her lover seriously.

Minjeong throws back her head and laughs, but her eyes are equally serious.

‘How else will I be able to protect my favourite person?’ She brushes Jimin’s cheek with a thumb, so so earnest and tender.

‘I’m the one who should be protecting you,’ Jimin huffs to hide her own fluster. ‘I’m your elder.’

Minjeong giggles again. She isn’t someone who laughs easily—at least, not as much as she amuses others—so Jimin always feels proud that Minjeong smiles and laughs more with her.

Jimin suspects she isn’t as funny as her girlfriend; just being indulged. That’s how they are—taking delight in indulging each other.

When Minjeong feels the need to act tough—those are the times Jimin feels most protective.

‘Just… promise me you’ll take it easy—and come to me if you need anything, okay?’

‘Yes, unnie-nim.’ Minjeong’s face is open with amusement, drawl smooth and sweet. She’s so beautiful Jimin still can’t believe this girl belongs to her.

‘You need to stay here forever.’ Minjeong grabs her hand and drags her to the couch. They’re teetering on being late, but there’s always more time for each other.

‘By my side,’ Minjeong elaborates, studying the ground bashfully.

‘Is that even a question at this point?’ Jimin jokes. Minjeong’s flawless skin glows with pleasure.

The last year has slipped by while they did just this: learning and accepting each and every thing about the other.

‘What’s on your schedule for today?’ Jimin changes the subject before she gets too sappy, as Minjeong is wont to make her do.

Minjeong runs a hand through her fluffy hair. ‘Probably gonna meet up with Aeri after work; she asked me to buy her something from the shop.’ Minjeong works as a barista. ‘You?’

Jimin replies, ’Same as usual. I guess you’ll be having dinner with Aeri then. But… your nights are reserved for me, right?’

Minjeong wraps her arm around Jimin’s shoulders, and hugs. ‘All of 'em.’

‘Say hi to the brats for me,’ she adds. Jimin is a part-time tutor and today is her lesson with her two favourite students, Sungchan and Jisung.

‘Will do.’ Jimin combs Minjeong’s bangs with her fingers.

‘Ah unnie,’ Minjeong complains once more, though she doesn’t squirm away. ‘Stop babying me.’

Her whine makes Jimin drop her hand but not her eyes. ‘Okay.’ She finally allows the grin that’s tugged the whole morning to bloom on her lips.

‘You’re staring,’ Minjeong mutters with a grimace, lowering her gaze in a definite fluster now, and Jimin guesses she is. She’s besotted. (‘Girlfriend privileges.’ She pinches Minjeong’s cheek.)

Since she’ll have time while grabbing dinner herself, Jimin decides to go shopping for a real valentine’s gift after work. Sungchan and Jisung’s single dads have been dancing around each other the longest time—maybe she’ll ask them to join her then ditch them at the shopping centre. Jimin snickers to herself as she texts both, still under Minjeong’s arm.

Minjeong’s childish nudge makes her chuckle out loud and abandon the phone to give her her full attention.

‘I really like you. You know that, don’t you?’

‘I like you more.’

‘I like you the most.’

Loving Minjeong is the easiest thing in her life that Jimin’s ever done.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so so much for reading, and to everybody who kudos-ed and commented on ‘the way you make me feel immortal’. To tell the truth I’m more of a boy group writer and it was the first time I’d posted anything for a girl group, but I really like aespa and the response to that fic blew me away, so I decided to post another for you guys. If you enjoyed this and want me to write more, please do let me know with a kudos :) You can still kudos and comment as a guest if you don’t have an account, in case anyone didn’t know. Pls also support all other writers in this fandom so aespa ficdom can grow faster! Tbh I know perhaps reworking my fics sounds easier than writing, but it actually took me hours bc I had to change all the pronouns lol. Check out my other aespa fics if you like my writing, and as always I’d be thrilled if you shared this on twitter ;3


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